Former Scorpions bassist Francis Buchholz dies at 71

Francis Buchholz, the erstwhile bassist for the German hard stone set Scorpions who performed astatine the tallness of the band’s planetary stardom, has died. He was 71.

Buchholz’s household confirmed the decease successful a station connected societal media, saying, “It is with overwhelming sadness and dense hearts we stock the quality that our beloved Francis passed distant yesterday aft a backstage conflict with cancer. He departed this satellite peacefully, surrounded by love. ... To his fans astir the satellite — we privation to convey you for your unwavering loyalty, your love, and the content you placed successful him passim his unthinkable journey. You gave him the world, and helium gave you his euphony successful return.”

Scorpions besides said successful a statement, “We person conscionable received the precise bittersweet quality that our longtime person and bass player, Francis Buchholz, has passed away. His bequest with the set volition unrecorded connected forever, and we volition ever retrieve the galore bully times we person shared together.”

Born successful Hanover, West Germany, successful 1954, Buchholz archetypal played successful the stone set Dawn Road, aboriginal joining Scorpions connected 1974’s “Fly to the Rainbow” and cementing its astir classical lineup. He played connected the band’s era-defining albums, including 1979’s “Lovedrive,” 1982’s “Blackout,” 1984’s “Love astatine First Sting” and the unrecorded albums “Tokyo Tapes” and “World Wide Live.”

Speaking astir Scorpions’ power astatine the extremity of the Cold War, helium told an interviewer, “We inactive had the Iron Curtain successful Europe erstwhile I was a boy. Living successful Germany astatine this clip determination was ever this large menace of a 3rd World War betwixt Russia and America. I was ever acrophobic of the Russians coming implicit the borderline successful Eastern Germany. ... Then, playing successful Moscow astatine the Peace Festival backmost successful the ‘90s, we were invited to the Kremlin by Mr. [Mikahil] Gorbachev, Russia’s President astatine that time, and that was 1 of those large moments — to deliberation we had achieved thing similar this conscionable from doing what we emotion to do.”

He near the radical aft 1990’s “Crazy World,” aboriginal touring with erstwhile Scorpions bandmate Uli Jon Roth and Michael Schenker’s Temple of Rock.

Buchholz is survived by woman wife, Hella, and 3 children.